Darkest Hour
by Cupcake Fairy
Summary: A dark sorcerer seeks revenge on Uther after twenty years lying in wait, and what better way than to make him watch his son die? Can Merlin protect Arthur against the biggest threat they've faced without revealing his secret?


As long as man could remember there had been dark rumours and myths about the White Mountains. So named because of their white rock, many believe it ironic how the legends say the mountains hold a great darkness, a great evil. Once, before magic was purged from the land of Albion, it was believed to be the home of a great sorcerer whose name is now only whispered. Of course, nobody dared venture in to the mountains' caves to see if any truth lay in the stories. Or at least, nobody that was foolish enough to enter the caves made it back alive.

So when a great cry rang across the mountain range, nobody heard it. Instead the man's screams echoed throughout the rocks, caves and peaks only to be lost in the wind.

Suddenly the shouts ceased and if there was someone there to listen, they would worry that the man's life had been taken from him as his earlier screams were ones of such pain that it sounded like his very soul was being ripped from his body.

In fact that was exactly what happened.

With a dull thud a managed form that once could have been a man fell to the stone floor. Above him a shadow danced, flickering in the strange lights that floated around the cavern. But slowly the shadow changed; it thickened and gained shapes and colours. Then, as though it was a mere coat, a man stepped out from the shadow, shaking it off so it fell to the floor before it seeped in the cave's corners to join its kin.

For a moment this man stood still, his body tense and his dark eyes flickering around the cave. Then, in one swift movement, the man crouched forward so he was bending over a dark pool. There he ran his fingers through his long black hair and scraggly beard. He gingerly touched his cheeks, mouth and nose. He bared his teeth and pulled at his robes. Finally he gave himself a nod as though he passed an inspection and his cold laugh rang through the cave, echoing back at him full of evil and hate.

"I wouldn't have picked it myself but it is a body all the same," the man murmured apparently to himself, his voice deep and raspy, as she slowly stood back up, his dark eyes now roaming through the cavern again, but this time more slowly. It was only then when he seemed to notice the floating lights, which had drawn closer to him. A sly smirk spread across his face as he opened his arms wide and said, "Ah. My daughters."

"We are not your daughters," a soft voice seemed to buzz from one of the lights which dove toward the man so it was floating in front of his face.

The man didn't even flinch. Instead he just chuckled, his eyes narrowing so he could look at the light in front of him. "Kahlan? Is that you?" The light buzzed angrily again but this just made the man laugh more. "Of course it is you. And remember, it is I who can give you and your sisters life again, so am I not your father? Your creator?"

"So it is true?" The light called Kahlan asked, "You weren't lying? You can really give us our bodies back? Like we helped you get a body?" The last sentence was spoken louder as though reminding the man that he owed them and deserved to reward them.

Instead the air around the man seemed to darken and a grim shadow passed over his face. "You accuse me of lying? _Me_, Viktor Priddell, a liar?" His voice rang through the cave dangerously, making some rocks fall to the ground with a crash.

Kahlan's green light seemed to flicker slightly as she whimpered and dropped height, obviously struggling to keep airborne. Another light, this one a pale pink, dashed forward, bobbing in front of the enraged man. "My Lord! I apologize for my sister's words! We are extremely grateful

And just as quickly as it started, the rumbling in the cave stopped and a smile spread across Viktor's face, banishing the dark shadow. Narrowing his eyes, the man looked in to the pink light. "Darla! I am extremely happy you survived. Someone needs to keep your sister in order." Kahlan buzzed angrily, though did not speak, while Darla gave a delighted giggle. "But she is right," Viktor continued, "You helped me regain form and I shall repay you by freeing you from your prisons."

Stretching out his arms to the three bobbing lights, Viktor closed his eyes and spoke a language that not many people understood, never mind speak. The three lights huddled together, an excited buzzing issuing from them as their lights suddenly started brightening until the whole cavern was filled with a dazzling bright white light. Then, quite suddenly, it disappeared and in the place of the three lights, three women now stood.

One woman, who had a flowing pink dress and her glowing blond hair tied back in to a plait, stepped forward clumsily and curtsied deeply to Viktor, who had now opened his eyes and was looking at the beautiful women greedily. "Thank you, my Lord," she said, her bright blue eyes glistening with tears of joy, "We are forever in your debt." A woman with an auburn pixie cut and pale yellow dress nodded eagerly, while the remaining woman, who had a forest green dress and long black wavy hair looked less eager but nodded all the same.

"My daughters," Viktor now seemed to speak the word with regret as his eyes still roamed over the women, "thank you for your loyalty. In fact, I could use your assistance in getting revenge on the man who did this to us. Uther Pendragon shall pay. Oh, and remember; I can take your bodies away even quicker than I gave them to you." At this, the three sister's smiles faded, but they remained silent after Viktor's threat. "How long has it been?"

There was a strained silence before Sophie, the woman dressed in yellow, stumbled forward slightly and stammered, "Twenty... twenty years, m... my Lord." Quickly, she staggered back to rejoin Kahlan, dressed in green, leaving Darla awkwardly standing between Viktor and her sisters.

"Twenty years?" For a moment the sisters feared the wrath of Viktor again, but surprisingly he just laughed loudly, his dark eyes glowing with anticipation. "That means Arthur would be a man now! Perfect! Uther will have to watch on as his son dies like I had to watch my loved ones perish!" As though that reminded him of something, Viktor rapidly turned his gaze on the sisters making Sophie whimper slightly. "Tell me," Viktor said, "My friend, Nimueh, survived. Where is she now? With her power over water and my power over earth, we shall crush this kingdom."

The three women tensed and Darla didn't speak until Viktor growled angrily. "My Lord," Darla whispered, curtseying deeply again, "Nimueh is dead. She was killed not long ago although we don't know whose hand committed the act, but they must have been powerful."

Again the women cringed, expecting Viktor's anger. But again they were surprised as his laugh echoed around the cavern once more. "Dead? Surely not," Viktor said, his chest still rumbling with laughter, "Her body may have been destroyed, like mine was so long ago, but we were prepared for our vessel's death. She will be roaming the land, nothing but a shadow, but she will still be alive. Find her and bring her here." The three women bowed and hurriedly turned toward the tunnel leading to the outside world, glad to be dismissed by Viktor's presence, but then he suddenly spoke up again, his voice full of hate, darkness and long.

"And kill Arthur Pendragon."

**A/N Hmm, bit longer than I first planned, maybe you can tell because the ending is a bit rushed. I know nothing really happened here but it was supposed to just be a prologue and introduce everyone to the story. Saying that, what do people think so far? Do you think I should continue? Please, review and tell me! This is my first Merlin fic so I want to know whether it is any good!**

**Also, can people help me come up with a better name please? I'm rubbish at naming my fics!**


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